The present invention relates generally to refrigerators, and more specifically, to methods and apparatus for circulating air within an icemaker compartment of a refrigerator.
Generally, a refrigerator includes a sealed refrigerating/cooling circuit or system comprising an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and an expansion device. Typically the evaporator is located in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator to provide a source of cold air which is then distributed to other areas or compartments of the refrigerator to provide cooling as needed.
It is now common in the art of refrigerators to provide an automatic icemaker. In a “side-by-side” type refrigerator where the freezer compartment is arranged to the side of the fresh food compartment, the icemaker is usually disposed in the freezer compartment and delivers ice through an opening in the access door of the freezer compartment. In this arrangement, ice is formed by freezing water with cold air in the freezer compartment, the air being made cold by the cooling circuit or system of the refrigerator. In a “bottom freezer” type refrigerator where the freezer compartment is arranged below a top fresh food compartment, convenience necessitates that the icemaker be disposed in the access door of the top mounted fresh food compartment and deliver ice through an opening in the access door of the fresh food compartment, rather than through the access door of the freezer compartment. It is known in the art that a way to form ice in this configuration is to deliver cold air, which is cooled by the evaporator of the cooling system, through appropriate air ducts to the interior cavity of an icemaker compartment on the access door of the fresh food compartment that houses the icemaker to maintain the icemaker at a temperature below the freezing point of water.
It is known to include a fan to distribute an air current to such an icemaker compartment. Typically this fan is in the freezer compartment, and requires an air duct to transport the air into the icemaker compartment from the freezer compartment. Usually this fan operates regardless of the stage in the ice making process, the temperature within the icemaker compartment, or operational status of the compressor.
The ductwork typically used to distribute air from the fan is an inefficient way to create an air current within the icemaker compartment. The angles and the length of the air duct reduce the pressure and flow of air coming from the fan. This inefficiency creates an icemaker compartment with an uneven temperature distribution because of a lack of proper air current to all parts of the icemaker compartment. This uneven temperature distribution makes forming ice less efficient and less accurate because some cubes in one area of an ice mold body may be warmer and not freeze fully, or may be too cold and over freeze.
Therefore, an ability to operate more efficiently, both in speed of ice production and in operation of the components within the icemaker compartment is desired. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for making air circulation within an icemaker compartment of a refrigerator more efficient.